Suspended railway



H. FRASER SUSPENDED RAILWAY- Dec. 30, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27. 1949 n8' L k INVENTOR Hugh .Fras'er BY ATTORN EYS Dec. 30, 1952 H. FRASER 2,623,475

SUSPENDED RAILWAY Filed May 2'7, 1949 7 Sheets-$heet 3 INVENTOR Hugh Fralfler 'BY 54 ATTORNEYS Dec. 30, 1952 H. FRASER 2,623,475

SUSPENDED RAILWAY Filed May 27, 1949 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 25 iii INVE NTOR Hugh Fraser ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 30, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUSPENDED RAILWAY Hugh Fraser, Burnside, by Rutherglen, Scotland Application May 27, 1949, Serial No. 95,694 In Great Britain J unc 14, 1948 2 Claims. 1

This invention has reference to railways of the type wherein cars are suspended from bogies running on an overhead track.

In such overhead railways considerable stresses can be developed in the cars and in the means by which they are suspended from the bogies and one object of the present invention is to provide improvements whereby undue stresses will be avoided. Another object of the invention is to provide improvements whereby under all running conditions the wheels of the bodies will adhere to the rails of the overhead track.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of part of an overhead track, a bogie mounted thereon and one end of a car suspended from the bogie, it being understood that the other end of the car is suspended in like manner from another bogie,

Figure 2 is a sectional end view thereof,

Figure 3 is an elevation of the bogie to a larger scale, the track being omitted,

Figure 4 is a sectional half plan view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a half end elevation of Figure 4, showing one of the bogies and the suspension arrangement,

Figure 5a is a half end elevation in section,

Figure 6 is an end elevation of part of the suspension arrangement.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a bogie, the suspension, car and rails being omitted therefrom.

In the improved overhead railway as shown in the drawings, the track is suspended from a braced structure I supported at suitable intervals by suitable supporting structures, not shown. Secured to the structure I, near the foot thereof, are angle iron beams 2 to which are secured transversely extending beams 3, see Figure 5. Supported by the angle iron beams and the transversely extending beams are the two rails 4. Said rails are inclined transversely outwardly and downwardly with respect to each other. The angle of the tracks to the horizontal should preferably be about 8 to 20. Said rails, at their inner ed es, are provided with upwardly turned guide flanges 5 while at their outer edges are downwardly turned flanges 6, which are at right angles to the faces of the rails to which they are secured.

The said rails are provided with super-elevation at curves.

Supported by the overhead supporting rails are bogies, one being provided to support each end of the car 1. The cars are driven by air screws 8, Figure 1, and are intended to run only in one direction, although if need be their direction can be reversed.

Each bogie is provided with bogie wheels 9, arranged in pairs, which transmit the weight of the bogie and part of the weight of the car to the supporting rails. The axles I 0 of the'said wheels are not horizontal, their axis being parallel to the transversely inclined supporting rails 4 so that the wheels are normal to said rails. Said wheels are provided with solid or pneumatic tyres l l which make a substantially non-slip contact with the face of the supporting rails.

The bogie frames each includes two U end frames l2, the limbs thereof being upwardly and outwardly inclined with respect to each other. Said limbs are interconnected by longitudinally extending upper and lower members I3 and M respectively of angle or other section, the lower members being at a height just below the supporting rails. The end frames are also interconnected by transverse members l5.

Two vertical side members It located between the end frames and bent at their upper extremities are secured to the upper connecting members l3 and are connected through gusset plates H to the lower connecting members M, the bogie frame so formed being suitably braced in three planes by the members l8 and I9. Said side members l6 have vertical slots as at I ia, see Figure 3.

The bearings of the axles ID of the wheel 9 are carried by gussets 20 located at the four corners formed by the end frames and the upper connecting members.

As stated the cars are intended primarily to run in one direction and at the forward end of each bogie are two guide wheels 2| the axles 2 la of which are carried by brackets 22 attached to the bogie frame, said brackets being tied together by transverse members 22a braced to the frame by transverse members 2217. The axles of the uide wheels are so set that the guide wheels are normal to the guide rails 6. Further said wheels are provided with solid or pneumatic tyres.

The bogie is symmetrical about its vertical centre line, its centre of gravity being on this line at a point about 9 inches above the supporting rails.

For high speed work the bogies are provided with a streamlined enclosing casing to reduce wind resistance in the direction of their motion. The centre of the area of both of the sides of the casing corresponds to the height of the centre of gravity of the bogie so that for side wind and out of balance centrifugal force the resultant force will act on a plane passing through the said centre of gravity.

Each car is provided with two longitudinally extending girders 25 located just below the roof, which girders are interconnected by means of transverse channel irons 25. To the transverse channel irons are secured upstanding brackets 25 between which extend short spindles El enclosed by bushes 28. Each bush is carried by suspension plates 29 which extend upwardly through openings in the roof of the car. Said plates have secured thereto a forging 3% provided at its upper end with an enlarged head 3!, see Figure 5, which rests on a thrust bearin 32 carried by a housing 33 which is supported on anti-friction bearings carried by a horizontal spindle 34. Said spindles lie in the vertical plane passing through the longitudinal centre of the car and are carried by the opposite sides of rectangular supporting frame 35.

Each of said frames 35 in turn is supported by two further horizontal spindles 35 extending in planes transverse to the car and which are carried by a rectangular frame 3? located below the bogie and track. Said two further spindles carry rectangular guide plates Itb which fit in the slots Ita in the aforesaid vertical members it.

Said guide plates are maintained in position by means of flanged guides E60 and !6d carried by sleeve distance pieces I fie and 5 5/ respectively, see Figure 4.

A shim I66 is'threaded on the outer end of each spindle 33 and bears on the adjacent side of the frame 31 and on the opposed face of a vertical member l5, and distance piece liif threaded on the spindles 36 bear on the other faces of the said vertical members and also on the outer ends of sleeves 33a enclosing said spindles, the inner ends of the sleeves abutting against the cross members 37a of the frame 3?.

To the outer sides of the said frame 3'! are attached brackets 33 which are supported through shackles 3811 by leaf springs 39, the ends thereof being supported by brackets 39a fixed to the transverse members 15 of the bogie frame.

The brackets 38 supported by the leaf springs are provided with guide rollers til which bear on opposite sides of the aforesaid vertical members l6.

Friction dampers 4!, see Figure l, are introduced between the housings 33 and the frames 35 to dampen the swaying movement of said housings about their supporting spindles 3d. Similarly friction dampers d2 are introduced be tween the cross members 3hr of the frames 3? and the adjacent sides of the frames 35 so as to minimise the swaying movement of the frames 35 about their supporting spindles.

The bogies are provided with a brakin system as set forth in my copending British patent application, No. 15,766, dated June 11, 1948.

It will be appreciated that each bogie is articulated in three planes with respect to the car.

t can round corners in virtue of the races supporting the enlarged heads of the forgings. That is when rounding a curve the ball races 32 permit the two bogies together with the frames 3'! with spindles 36, the frames 35. with spindles 3d and housings 33 to partake of a partial rotary movement in a horizontal plane with respect to the forgings 3!], the suspension plates 23 and the ends of the car supported thereby. The car have side play with respect to the bogies by reason of 4 the fact that the housings 33 together with the car can swing in a lateral direction about the spindles 34 and with respect to the frames 35 and 31 and the bogies.

When the brakes are applied the suspension plates 29 can move out of the vehicle, this being permissible as the forgings 39 together with the frames 35 can swing about the spindles 36 carried by the frames 37 suspended from the bogies and also because the suspension plates are secured to and can swing about the spindles 21 carried by the car.

With the exception of the articulation provided for cornering or going around curves the articulation in the other planes may be countered by the friction or hydraulic dampers to damp out resonance caused by periodic forces.

It will be appreciated that the point of suspension of the car with respect to the bogie is the centre of the universal joint arrangement above set forth. The car load is transmitted to the frames suspended below the track, which transmits the load through the side leaf springs to the bogies. All side and longitudinal forces from the car to the bogies are transmitted to the vertical slotted side members and from said members to the bogies.

Should the cars when roundin curves travel at speeds which do not correspond to the superelevation a centrifugal force is set up but such force will not tilt the bogies transversely as the resultant of such centrifugal force and the weight of the bogie with car, either loaded or unloaded, is in a plane between the supporting wheels and in a plane adjacent to but not above the level of the guide rails. This ensures that under all conditions both the near and off supporting rails, continuously exert pressure on the supporting rails, thus eliminating danger of the bogies getting off their rails.

I claim:

1. An overhead railway comprising an overhead track structure having two supporting rail tracks each inclined outwards and downwards with respect to the other, two guide tracks in planes at right angles to the supporting tracks, a pair of bogies each having two pairs of relatively inclined main wheels which travel on and are normal to the supporting rail tracks, guide wheels at the forward end of the bogie and bearing on and normal to the guide tracks, a horizontal frame resiliently supported by each bogie and extending below the rail tracks, a second frame carried by the resiliently supported frame and capable of a swivelling movement in a vertical plane, a housing carried by the second frame and capable of a swivelling movement in a vertical plane at right angles to that in which the second frame can swivel, a car, suspension brackets secured to the car towards each end thereof and capable of swivelling with respect to the car in a vertical plane passing through the longitu dinal centre of the car and thrust bearings by which said brackets are supported by the housings and which permit a relative rotary move ment in a horizontal plane of the brackets relative to the bogies.

2. In an overhead railway wherein a car is suspended from bogies running on rails, car sus pension means comprising a horizontal frame resiliently supported'by' each bogie and extend ing belowthe rail tracks, a second frame carried by the resiliently supported frame and capable of a swivelling movement in a vertical plane,- a housing carried by the second frame and capable HUGH FRASER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

- UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Drew Jan. 5, 1892 Langen Sept. 24, 1895 Smith Mar. 29, 1910 Wagner July 11, 1922 Galko May 24, 1932 Strauss June 9, 1936 

